Tournament Strategies
After receiving pocket cards, you are immediately faced with a choice: play your cards and either raise or call the blinds, or fold.
Practice Matters
Straights
Straights A simple method to calculate the number of possible straights is to start from the bottom and work up. For example, we use four aces, four deuces, four 3's, four 4's, and four 5's. Multiplying 4x4x4x4x4, we get 1,024 straights 5 high. We get a like number headed by each of the following high cards: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, and ace. Adding, we get a total of 10,240, from which we must discount four royal flushes and 36 straight flushes, leaving us a total of 10,200 straights.
Three of a Kind
Three of a Kind We have already calculated the number of hands containing three of a kind at 52 (see Full Houses). But the two remaining cards in the hand must be odd cards. To prevent including the chances of making four of a kind or a full house when computing the chances solely for three of a kind, we must calculate that the first odd card must be one of 48 cards and the second odd card must be one of 44. Our complete figure is obtained thus: